Life on the Line
by AmbrielleReynolds
Summary: Will gets a call Emma is in trouble. He rushes to her side and is presented with some shocking news. Set after season 1. Carma and Wemma. Warning: Character Death
1. Chapter 1

Okay this is my first Glee Fic. I am a huge Wemma shipper even though this doesn't exactly have the typical Emma Will happy beginning. Yeah I know this is from like season one but I had the idea and a little free time. Some events didn't really happen in the series but just pretend they did . Enjoy! Oh yeah…Reviews are Appreciated!

He was home alone, just like every other night since his divorce from Terri and the blow up with Emma, drowning his sorrows in old movies and junk food. He thought about using alcohol except he was constantly reminded about how horribly that went last time. It had caused him hell at school when Sue played his drunk dial over the loud speaker. He had learned his lesson the hard way and decided to stay sober, especially on school nights. Every day he would pass by her office just hoping to get a glance at her cleaning her desk or meeting with a student, even if she was with Carl now. The only thing that managed to bring him comfort about the situation was knowing that he had gotten to be her first and that was something nobody could take from him. That was just over three months ago and he found himself longing more and more for her embrace with each passing day.

It was just before eight o clock when he heard his phone ringing from the other room. He jumped slightly at the sudden noise and wondered who would be calling him at this time of night. Nobody bothered calling him except his parents on holidays and Terri when she wanted to harass him. Her calls always came before five though since she had started taking the night shift at sheets and things. Still, he went to grab his phone and surprised when he didn't recognize the number on his caller I.D. He almost didn't answer but figured it might be important and it wasn't as if he had anything better to do with his time.

"Hello?" he asked. "Hello Mr. Schuster. My name is Dr. James Awsan. I am calling about your friend, Emma Pillsbury. She was admitted to Mercy Hospital this evening after she was brought in by paramedics and you were listed as her emergency contact according to our records." The man on the other end said. Will felt his heart instantly sink at the news. It was never good when the hospital called to speak to an emergency contact. "Oh my god. What happened? Is she okay?," he asked scared of what the answer might be. "Well, there was an accident. She was the passenger in a car that was hit head on by a drunk driver." he began, "she sustained some pretty serious injuries but she is in stable condition. We just brought her out of surgery but I would really like for you to come to the hospital where I can explain more." Will felt devastated but suddenly remembered the doctor had said Emma was the passenger in the car. "What about Carl? Was he in the accident?" Will questioned. "Carl?" the doctor asked obviously not familiar with the name. There was some rustling and distant voices and then the doctor returned in a solemn tone. "I'm sorry. I was just informed that there was a male driving the car but that he was pronounced dead on the scene. I wish you hadn't had to receive that information over the phone." Will felt the sting even though he didn't care much for Carl. Sure he wanted Emma back but not like this. Not at the expense of another man's life. Also, Emma seemed happy with Carl and that was important to Will, even if he had to be miserable in return. "Um…okay I am on my way." Will said and hung up. He ran to his bedroom to throw on some jeans and a t-shirt then rushed out the door.

Thirty minutes later, he was bursting through the emergency room doors looking frantically for someone to talk to. He wanted to see Emma and needed someone to help make that happen. He found the information desk, introduced himself and asked to see Emma. The young woman behind the counter typed away looking for the records he was looking for. "I'm sorry sir. Ms. Pillsbury is still in recovery. You won't be able to see her until she has been moved to a room. I will let her doctor know you are here so he can come update you as soon as you can see her." She told him. This answer frustrated him but he knew there was no use in arguing with her so he plopped himself in one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs and pulled out his phone to check the time. 8:32 PM.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long. A man with glasses and a white coat came through the back door and approached Will about 15 minutes later. He took a seat across from Will and introduced himself. "Hello. I'm Dr. Awsan, Emma's doctor. We spoke on the phone." "Yes how she is? Can I see her?" Will begged. Dr. Awsan chuckled a bit at the questions which Will took as a good sign. "Yes. You can see her in just a few minutes but before you do I need to prepare you. The accident left her with multiple lacerations and some bruising. She had a deep gash in her head where we assume the window glass came in contact with her skull. We did a CT and so far the results reveal no brain damage but she has a small brain bleed that we are watching carefully. Also, her wrist was shattered and we had to perform surgery to repair it. Her spleen and ribs have some severe bruising but amazingly an ultrasound revealed the baby is still alive. Now that does not mean she is out of the woods. We are worried that her injuries will cause too much stress on her body and she will miscarry. We will monitor the baby but it is too early in the pregnancy to do anything if the fetus goes into distress. She hasn't come out of the coma yet and we can't predict when she might wake up. I wish I had better news but like I said she is stable which is promising," the doctor said finishing his explanation.

Will couldn't see his face but he knew his expression was pure shock. It was not from the list of Emma's injuries, but from the news that she was pregnant. Pregnant and she hadn't even told him. Sure they weren't on great speaking terms but he would have expected her to tell him such life changing news. She and Carl had a baby on the way. "I…had no idea she was expecting." He said as if to explain his shocked silence to the doctor. "Oh…well like I said it is early in the pregnancy so maybe she was just waiting to tell people." He offered. "Yeah…maybe," Will murmured although he had a hard time believing that was true. The doctor stood as if asking Will to follow him and Will rose from his seat, his mind racing with the information he had just been presented with. He hoped more than anything Emma would wake up and that baby would be okay. He regretted that Carl wouldn't be around to see his baby born and that if it survived the baby would never know its father. It was right there in the hallway outside Emma's room that he made a decision. If Emma would have him back, he would be there with her every step of the way. He would be anything she wanted to her and that baby because he loved her more than anybody.


	2. Chapter 2

The doctor told Will he could stay as long as he liked and that he could ask a nurse if he needed anything before he turned and walked away leaving Will standing outside door to her room. He was afraid of what he might find but he pushed back on the solid wood door to reveal a darkened room.

The only light came from the monitors keeping track of Emma's vitals and the hallway which had illuminated a path to the bed. Making his way to her side carefully, he flipped on a small lamp so that he could see more clearly. Even with the bruises and the stitches running along her hairline she looked beautiful in his eyes. He didn't think she could ever look less than perfect to him.

He pulled a chair next to her bed and reached out for her hand. One arm was casted and she had bandages covering one shoulder. He guessed there were more but the covers and the gown that seemed to swallow her small frame hid them from view. There were some tubes and wires and he heard the beeping of the heart monitor reassuring him that she was alive.

Tears came to his eyes and he wished he could take her place because she had waited so long to be happy and now here she was with it all on the line. She had lost a man she loved and didn't even know it and she was fighting for both her own life and the life of her unborn child. It was so unfair. He had nothing left and he was sitting here fine. All he had left was her and he didn't even know if she would want him.

He wasn't quite sure if he should speak or if she could even hear him but he had so much to tell her. He was tired but sleep was the farthest thing from his mind. He leant down barely pulling her hand to his lips and kissed the soft skin before beginning his speech. "Emma, it's Will. I don't know if you can hear me but if you can I want you to know I am here and I will never leave you as long as you want me to stay. You have to fight Emma. You have to survive and you have to wake up so that your baby will have its mommy. You have to wake up so I can see your beautiful smile and big brown eyes look at me. Please Emma…please wake up." He choked out without even realizing he had begun to cry.

He was no poet and despite his best effort the words seemed clunky and awkward rolling off his tongue. Time didn't feel real in the dim light of the hospital room but before he knew it he had dozed off sitting in the chair slumped over the bed still holding her hand.

The day nurse woke him when she entered the room for morning rounds. She was surprised to see a visitor so early in the morning and offered to fetch him some coffee or a snack since he appeared so ragged from his poor sleep position. He accepted gratefully and dug for his phone as the nurse left to fetch it for him. He called the school to tell them what had happened and let them know he wouldn't be coming in today. Principal Figgins was less than pleased but understood under the circumstances.

Thankfully it was close to break so Will wouldn't have to ask off too many days if Emma remained in the hospital for a long period of time. The nurse returned with his coffee and Will settled in for a long day. He didn't mind; in fact there was nowhere else he would rather be. He just hoped Emma would pull through, but he kept reminding himself that the doctor had been optimistic about her condition and that gave him hope.

Emma's condition didn't change much but Will was given a treat when some of the glee kids came by to visit after hearing about the accident on the morning announcements. Will was glad for the company and even gladder when Rachel suggested some shifts so that he would have a chance to go home, eat, and shower. "You wouldn't want Ms. Pillsbury waking up to you all dirty and gross. After all, she does have a thing about clean." She had pointed out. As much as he hated to leave her, he knew the glee kids were his best substitutes and they cared about her just like he did so he agreed so long as he had most of the shifts.

Once times had been worked out and things like food drops were arranged, the kids left leaving Will alone with Emma. The silence didn't bother him and he loved just stroking her hand. He knew though that he would have to break the news to Emma that Carl had been killed and he dreaded that moment. That was just one more reason he hoped the baby would be okay. He wasn't sure he could handle telling her she had lost both of them. "Stay strong little one." He whispered to her stomach the second night before he settled in for another sleepover.

Tomorrow was Saturday and Rachel was planning to arrive bright and early to relieve him until lunch when he would come back for the afternoon and night. Mercedes and Kurt were going to deliver dinner to him that evening as well. He was so afraid of missing something but he knew Rachel was right about being clean and he knew it was important to eat. So far though, he hadn't felt much like eating at all because all he could concentrate on was Emma.


	3. Author's Note

*Authors Note: I have actually finished this story but I have to type it. I will try and get it all typed before the end of May. Some of you may not be that pleased with how the story progresses. I wasn't that thrilled with it myself which is why I stopped it when I did.

However, I will type it all up and submit it so that you can judge for yourself …reviews are appreciated, even constructive criticism…anything that I can use to improve my writing in the future…thanks guys!


	4. Chapter 3

Note: Okay so this chapter kind of overlaps with the previous one because in the version I hand wrote I omitted what I had typed before ( I forgot about it honestly). I plan to make some changes to the written version to explain inconsistencies that would arise if I left it as is but this chapter works the way it was written already. Enjoy and review please! Thanks :)

Before he even realizes it, he is asleep in the chair by Emma's side, slumped over her hospital bed with one hand intertwined with hers and the other resting securely on her midriff as if protecting the child within. It was about three thirty in the morning when he was jolted awake by an alarm. Momentarily forgetting where he is, he reaches for his alarm clock trying to silence the incessant noise. Suddenly everything came rushing back and he remembered exactly where he is and that the alarm is coming from one of the machines hooked to Emma.

There wasn't even sufficient time to panic before the door flew open and several staff members came rushing in; two wheeling some sort of machine. He barely noticed the nurses attempting to herd him out of the room amid the shouts of medical jargon like v-fib and cardiac arrest. We he finally realized what they were trying to do he pulled back from them trying to maintain a gaze on Emma's face. He was fighting and felt hot tears brimming for fear that he would lose her right then and there.

"Please sir, we need you to leave so that we can try and save her life." The nurse pleaded as the other nurses ripped the gown off her body and Will noticed that one was holding two paddles attached to the machine they had carried in. Even Will knew what was happening then. He had seen the medical shows before. Emma's heart had stopped and they were about to shock her to restart it. He couldn't watch that, couldn't see her body jolt as the paddles shot an electric charge through her like it did on medical shows. He finally relinquished himself and followed the pleading nurse out of the room, refusing to allow himself to look back as he heard the first shock and let the brimming tears spill over and slide down his cheek.

The nurse led him down the hall to a small waiting area. She looked sympathetic and handed him a Kleenex. "The doctor will come and get you as soon as he can. I will let him know that you need an update on your friend and I am so sorry that you had to see that. It is never easy to watch someone you love in trouble." She said as she turned to leave.

He didn't answer, and he knew that she didn't expect him to anyway. Even though he was exhausted, he knew that there was no way he would be getting anymore sleep tonight, at least until he found out if Emma was okay. It was a helpless feeling to just sit and wait but it was all he could do.

Will was thankful that it wasn't too long before a doctor came to speak with him. It wasn't the same doctor as before but he figured there had probably been a shift change and that Emma's doctor wasn't on call anymore.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hill. Are you the one waiting for an update on Emma Pillsbury?" She questioned. Will's eyes lit up at the mention of her name.

"Yes. Please tell me that she is alright," Will begged. "Yes. She is stable. We were able to restart her heart and she is being monitored even more closely in case she crashes again, but for now she is resting comfortably and seems to be doing fine, "she assured.

"What about the baby?" Will questioned. "Well, we have paged the O.B. on call and she will be down as soon as possible to take a look but usually short episodes like this cause little harm to the growing fetus as long as the heart is restarted fairly quickly," the doctor answered.

Will shook his head and asked another question, "Why did this happen? I-I mean what caused it?"

"Well, we don't always know the cause of sudden attacks like this, but often when the body has sustained multiple traumatic injuries like Emma's has, the heart just gets too stressed and stops beating effectively or at all," she explained.

"So then it could happen again?" Will asked sure that the terror was written on his face. Dr. Hill smiled slightly as encouragement and stated, "Obviously, there is always that possibility but that is why we are monitoring her so closely so that if it does we can act quickly to save her…you can go back to her if you would like though and like I said, the O.B. will be by soon to do a check."

Will stood, shook her hand and thanked her. "I can't lose her." He whispered just loud enough for her to catch. "We are doing everything we can to see that you don't," she returned before heading out of the waiting area. Dr. Hill went one direction and Will went the other, walking quickly back to Emma's room and opening the door to be greeted by the comforting beep of the heart monitor.


	5. Chapter 4

He practically sprinted to her bedside, leaning down to kiss her cheek and grasping her hand never wanting to let go. Somehow, she appeared even weaker and paler than before. It made sense he, he figured, considering what she had just endured. Her tiny frame had been shocked at least once with an electrical current.

Though the gown had been replaced, he could see the red marks peeking through one of the snaps in the thin fabric. He gently tugged at the gown to reveal the full mark causing him to shutter. He knew that had to be painful and he was glad that Emma wasn't awake while her body was so badly injured and broken.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this Emma, but please…please fight because this baby needs you…the students and glee kids need you…I need you. We all need you to pull through this and I can't believe I was ever dumb enough to let you go," he said praying that she could hear him and praying that she would make it through this.

Considering the nights events he wasn't about to leave her despite Rachel having a "shift" starting in the morning. He mentally reminded himself to call her as soon as it was a reasonable hour and tell her that she didn't have to come if she didn't want to.

It was a few hours before a knock at the door startled Will. He had been starring at Emma's sleeping form completely unaware of how much time had passed since her heart stopped and she almost died. "Hello, I am Dr. Lakes the O.B. on call. I am here to check on the baby," said the tall brunette who had entered the room with another machine in tow.

Will recognized this one from when he had accompanied Terri to her fake baby appointment. It was an ultrasound machine and it let bad memories creep back in.

"Uh…should I-I leave? I am not the father or the boyfriend or anything so I guess it isn't really my place to be here. Carl should be here but he was killed in the accident and I just don't know. I mean Emma loved me…once…and I let her down and she was barely speaking to me before the accident. But I _was_ her emergency contact so that has to be a good sign right?" Will rambled unloading all his thoughts on a woman he realized probably didn't care.

She smiled as if she understood the frustration he was feeling. "You can stay if you would like. You obviously care about her and I won't be doing anything invasive or exposing. I am just going to check the baby's heart rate and perform an ultrasound to see if there are any visible signs of distress or injuries to the uterus or fetus from the accident," she explained pulling out a smaller handheld device and pulling back the covers.

Will knew that if Emma had been awake she would have shuttered. The doctor unfolded a light blue paper sheet and covered Emma's hips before lifting the gown to expose her stomach. Will almost gasped at the dark blue and purple patches peaking around the white bandage that he was assumed was covering her incision.

"I'm sorry this must be difficult for you to see. You don't have to stay if you don't want to," she offered.

Will swallowed the lump forming in his throat and took Emma's hand. "No…I'm okay…I just got caught a little off guard," he assured.

She nodded and put the sensor to Emma's stomach. There was a moment of silence which scared Will however the doctor reassured that sometimes early in the pregnancy a heartbeat was hard to detect. As if on cue, there was a sudden fast paced noise filling the room.

It sounded like a tiny drum beating incredibly fast and Will was excited when he saw the doctor smile.

"That's the baby's heartbeat. It sounds pretty good and is nice and stable so from that standpoint I would say that the baby is doing well. Now let's do an ultrasound to check for any problems," she communicated.

Will was beaming but the thought that this baby wasn't his was still in the back of his mind. Terri had tricked him and taken his child away from him even though it never existed. He didn't even realize until now just how bitter he still was about it. This baby was Carl's and it would never get to meet him. It was so unfair.

The doctor placed a small amount of gel on Emma's stomach and ran the wand over her. The images were just grainy and Will couldn't make much sense of the picture. Despite his lack of understanding, Dr. Lakes was intently focused on the screen, moving the wand around and from what he could tell, she was checking for damage. When she had finished that, she returned to a darkened sac filled with a white blob.

"See that little oval right there? The white thing inside is the fetus and that colored area that appears to be fluctuating is the heartbeat," she directed pointing to the screen, "and there is the head and here are the legs and arms. It is too early to tell what the sex of the baby is but from what I can tell the baby is perfectly healthy and I didn't see any damage to the uterine walls."

Will couldn't help but stare at the picture on the screen, his reaction mimicking that of when he had seen Quinn's baby on the screen. He just watched the little blob that would soon grow into a fully developed baby.

"I'll print a picture for you," she said cleaning the gel off Emma and lowering her gown. She took the paper sheet and pulled the covers back to Emma's chest and waited for the image to print. Once it had, she handed it to Will, wished him luck with Emma and left the room quite again. Relief flooded Will as he took his seat by her side still holding the grainy image.

It was getting light outside but Will had barely slept and he decided that now he could knowing the Emma and the baby were doing okay. Before he did he called Rachel who was understanding but said she would try and drop by later just in case. With that done, he leant back in his chair and finally rested his eyes.


	6. Chapter 5

The next two weeks were pretty much the same. Emma's condition remained unchanged and while Will finally allowed the Glee kids to take a few shifts he was uncomfortable being away for fear that her status would change and he would miss it. She had no further crashes and when the nurse changed the dressing s every three days Will could see the three inch incision running along her torso.

He knew Emma was going to hate that scar because she was already self conscious about herself despite the incredible beauty she possessed.

The obstetrician came again the next week to check the baby's heart rate but much to Will's disappointment she didn't perform another ultrasound. Also, Dr. Awsan came by every few days to check on her and assured Will that her injuries were all healing well and that she could wake up at any time. Even though it was good news, Will found it stressing.

He couldn't be at the hospital all the time. He had taken off the entire first week but he had to go back to work after that and he was so afraid she would awaken while he was gone and be all alone, feeling like no one cared enough to stay by her side. Even when he was at school he could focus on nothing but her and barely managed to scrape a lesson plan together.

The glee kids were understanding and came to visit even when they weren't taking shifts. Thankfully, the nationals were over so there was nothing too pressing they should be working on. Rachel had found a suitable substitute for after school practices which took one burden off Will's shoulders and he was very grateful.

It was sixteen days after the accident that anything happened. It was a Saturday and Will had arrived at the hospital bright and early. He had been forcing himself to sleep at home every few days and because it was Friday night Kurt and Blaine had taken his place. He didn't want to look disgusting when Emma woke up after all. Her room was dark and she was still laying lifeless in her deep sleep. He thanked the boys who groggily smiled and said their goodbyes before heading home.

Once he was alone, he took his normal seat by her bedside and grabbed her hand. When he did, he noticed it felt warmer than usual. His first thought was that she might have a fever or have developed some sort of infection, but all his worry turned to shock when he heard a small squeak slip from her throat.

She ran his hand across her forehead lovingly, assuring her that he was there. He realized when her hand twitched against his and her eyelids fluttered that she really was waking up. He hit the page button to summon the nurses and quickly returned his hands to her. One remained intertwined with hers and the other rested upon her cheek so that she would know he was still here.

The nurse came in and saw that she was beginning to wake but because of her training and seeing Emma's behaviors, she knew that Emma's movements were progressing to trying to remove the tube from her through. She came to the other side of Emma's bed and spoke to her in a calming tone.

"Emma? My name is Kathy. You are in the hospital and there is a tube in your throat that was helping you to breathe. I am going to remove it on the count of three but I need you to cough when I do to help me out okay? Squeeze my hand if you understand," the nurse recited.

Emma squeezed to communicate she understood and Will watched as tears slid down her cheek. "Okay…here we go…one…two…three," instructed the nurse as she pulled the tube and Emma coughed.

Will had already gotten her a glass of water because he knew that her throat would be incredibly dry and likely hurt from the intrusive object. Once the tube was removed, Emma opened her eyes and Will lifted the cup to her lips encouraging her to drink. She did, taking in the water hungrily until the glass was gone.

She moved her fingers in his hand and he let go but she immediately grabbed for him with fear in her eyes. "What happened? Where's Carl?" she whispered clearly horse from the tube. Will had hoped he would have some time before he would have to address that question but he knew he had to tell her. She needed to hear it from him and not a stranger.

"Um…," he stuttered trying to think of the best way to handle the delicate conversation that was about to ensue, "Emma, you and Carl were in an accident. It was a drunk driver and you were hurt really badly. You had to have surgery and you have been in a coma for the past 16 days. I was so scared you would never wake up but I stayed here as much as I could. I even missed a week of school…I-I didn't want to have to be the one to tell you this, but Carl was killed. His injuries were just too severe and he died in the accident. I….I'm so sorry Emma. I know you loved him and I know it's not the same but I am here for you…as long as you want me."

As he spoke, Will saw tears spring to Emma's eyes and the look of shock plastered on her face. Her gaze dropped to their hands still intertwined and squeezed for comfort. Will took this as a cue and bent over pulling her into an embrace, being gentle because he knew her body was still bruised and recovering and he didn't want to hurt her.


End file.
